Thursday, April 1 (Day 01)
HONOLULU TO NARITA
Our tour commences this morning when we assemble at the Japan Airlines departure lobby #5 at the airport for check-in procedures for our flight to Narita International Airport. A meal and a snack will be served on board the flight.
Friday, April 2 (Day 02)
NARITA - TOKYO (D)
We’ll arrive at Narita Airport in the afternoon and after completing entry and customs formalities, we’ll transfer to our hotel in Tokyo by chartered motorcoach. A dinner is planned for you this evening at the hotel.
Accommodations at SUNSHINE CITY PRINCE HOTEL
Saturday, April 3 (Day 03)
TOKYO (B)(L)
After breakfast, we will embark on a full day of sightseeing in this exciting metropolitan city. We’ll travel to Asakusa - located in the center of shitamachi (old downtown). The highlight of this area is Sensoji - also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple - Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple built for the goddess of Kannon. Located adjacent to the temple is Nakamise-dori - a shopping street with many shops offering typical Japanese souvenirs and local snacks. We’ll tour the Edo-Tokyo Museum showcasing exhibits and artifacts relating to the historical heritage of Edo-Tokyo. The museum is divided into three interesting major sections, the ‘Edo Zone’, the ‘Tokyo Zone’, and the ‘History Zone’ and at the entrance is a replica of the ‘Nihonbashi Bridge’. We’ll drive by Ginza, the most exclusive entertainment and shopping district in Japan with upscale shops and restaurants. Enjoy shopping at Ameyokocho, a lively shopping area with many indoor and outdoor vendors offering a variety of food products and various merchandise at discounted prices. This evening, enjoy dinner on your own at one of the restaurants in the shopping mall located adjacent to our hotel.
Accommodations at SUNSHINE CITY PRINCE HOTEL
Sunday, April 4 (Day 04)
TOKYO - HAKONE - FUJI FIVE LAKES - LAKE YAMANAKA (B)(D)
We’ll travel to Hakone - part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park and famous for its volcanic hot springs and natural beauty. Enjoy a relaxing boat cruise on scenic Lake Ashino-ko - a crater lake that lies along the caldera of Mount Hakone and known for its breathtaking view of Mt. Fuji, Japan’s most sacred mountain. Hakone used to be an important checkpoint for the Old Tokaido Highway - the old road that linked the ancient capital Kyoto to Edo (now known as Tokyo) during the Edo period. We’ll continue on to the scenic Fuji Five Lake region (Fuji-go-ko) located in Yamanashi prefecture. We’ll spend the night at a beautiful hotel overlooking Lake Yamanaka, the largest of the Fuji Five Lakes offering a breathtaking view of the mountain. (weather permitting) Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.
Accommodations at HOTEL MT. FUJI or similar
Monday, April 5 (Day 05)
LAKE YAMANAKA - MT. FUJI - SHIZUOKA - NAGOYA (B)(D)
Weather permitting, we’ll drive up the slopes of Mt. Fuji to the ‘go-go-me’ (Fifth Station) - one of the major rest stops utilized by mountain hikers to enjoy a breathtaking view of this sacred mountain and its surrounding valleys. We’ll continue our drive along the Pacific Coast through Shizuoka prefecture, the largest tea producing region in Japan and once home to the first Tokugawa Shogun Ieyasu. The scenery of Shizuoka offers a view of the Southern Japan Alps, a breathtaking view of Fuji-san and miles of scenic coastline along Suruga Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Enjoy the experience of picking and eating some delicious strawberries at a strawberry orchard before we proceed to the castle town of Nagoya, the capital of Aichi Prefecture to spend the night. Dinner will be provided for you this evening.
Accommodations at NAGOYA CASTLE PLAZA or similar
Tuesday, April 6 (Day 06)
NAGOYA - BULLET TRAIN - KYOTO (B)(L)
This morning, enjoy a stroll through the ichiba - an interesting morning market located on the backstreets of our hotel with many indoor and outdoor vendors offering a variety of fresh and dried food products and other merchandise. We’ll travel to Toyota City to enjoy a guided tour of a Toyota Car Factory. Observe the fascinating process of automobile manufacturing as we watch components being assembled to new cars on a moving assembly line. We’ll return to the Nagoya Train Station to board the shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto, the former capital of Japan. A delicious obento will be provided for you to enjoy on board the train. On arrival at the Kyoto Station, we’ll transfer to our hotel and check in for two nights. The rest of the day will be at your leisure to explore the city on your own or browse through some of the shops at the train station located near the hotel. Dinner will be on your own to try some Kyoto style cuisine at one of the restaurants in the city or at the train station.
Accommodations at RIHGA ROYAL HOTEL or similar
Wednesday, April 7 (Day 07)
KYOTO - NARA - KYOTO (B)(D)
We’ll travel to the ancient city of Nara located at the northern end of the Yamato Plain - a fertile valley where members of the Yamato clan rose to power as the original emperors of Japan. We’ll visit the Todai-ji Temple Complex, a magnificent Buddhist temple in Nara-koen - a park that is home for many sacred deer roaming freely about. The Daibutsu-den (Hall of the Great Buddha) is considered the largest wooden structure in the world and home to the Daibutsu, an enormous bronze statue of Buddha, perhaps the most famous sight in Nara. Within the hall is a large wooden pillar with a hole at its base and local tradition has it that those who pass through the opening will find their way to an afterlife of paradise. We’ll visit Kasuga Taisha Shrine, designated as a Unesco World Heritage Site with hundreds of stone lanterns lined along the approach-way to the shrine. In the afternoon, we’ll return to Kyoto to visit some of the highlights of this traditional city including a visit to Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), a magnificent golden structure sitting on a lake providing a beautiful reflection in the calm waters. Stroll through the magnificent gardens of Heian-jingu, a spacious garden with a large pond and Chinese-inspired bridge and enjoy shopping at the Kyoto Handicraft Center - a five story shopping complex offering a nice selection of souvenirs, handicrafts, kimonos, toys, and more. Weather permitting, the cherry blossoms should be in bloom at this time of the year. Dinner will be provided for you this evening.
Accommodations at RIHGA ROYAL HOTEL or similar
Thursday, April 8 (Day 08)
KYOTO - KOBE - AWAJI ISLAND - TOKUSHIMA (B)(D)
This morning we’ll travel to the city of Kobe and visit the Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum displaying exhibits and videos explaining the traditional sake brewing process. Samples of some of their delicious products will be provided for you to enjoy at the end of the tour. We’ll continue on to cross the Akashi Kaikyo Ohashi, a bridge to Awaji Island - the inland sea’s largest island. Enjoy a performance of the Awaji Ningyo Joruri (Puppet Play) at the Awaji Puppet Theatre. The separate arts of puppet manipulation, gidayu narration and shamisen accompaniment blend together to present a dramatic performance of a tragic drama. Our travel continues on crossing the Naruto Channel on the Naruto Ohashi, a bridge connecting Awaji Island to Shikoku Island. At each flow of the tide, currents rush through this narrow passage to form uzushio (whirlpools) of various sizes and we may be able to see some as we drive on the bridge. We’ll proceed to the city of Tokushima on Shikoku Island to spend the night. This evening, enjoy a lively performance of the famous Awa Odori, the pride of Tokushima at the Awa Odori Kaikan. Learn to dance and participate with the special ‘Awanokaze’ dancers. Dinner will be provided for you tonight at the hotel.
Accommodations at AWA KANKO HOTEL or similar
Friday, April 9 (Day 09)
TOKUSHIMA - TAKAMATSU - IMABARI (B)(D)
This morning we’ll travel to the castle town of Takamatsu and enjoy a stroll through the beautiful gardens of Ritsurin-koen, a park that is the city’s major landmark and once the summer retreat for the Lords of the Matsudaira family. This scenic garden follows a classical Japanese design featuring pine trees winding around a series of ponds, bridges and rock formations including a ‘borrowed scenery’ of Mount Shuin forming a backdrop to the garden. Experience making your own fan to take home as a souvenir at the Uchiwa Minato Museum, specializing in uchiwa (rounded paper fans). These fans are made with a decorated paper stretched over a thin bamboo frame. We’ll continue on to spend the night in Imabari, the second largest city in Ehime prefecture and noted for its production of towels. Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.
Accommodations at IMABARI KOKUSAI HOTEL or similar
Saturday, April 10 (Day 10)
IMABARI - SHIMA NAMI KAIDO - HIROSHIMA (B)(D)
We’ll depart Shikoku Island via the scenic Shima Nami Kaido, a set of bridges connecting the many islands of the Seto Inland Sea to Honshu. Our drive will take us from Imabari in Shikoku through Onomichi, arriving in the city of Hiroshima in the early afternoon to spend the next two nights. En route, we’ll visit a unique museum - devoted to the fascinating world of towels. Displays feature everything from the basics of towel production to fine finished products - making this an interesting visit. Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.
Accommodations at RIHGA ROYAL HOTEL HIROSHIMA or similar
Sunday, April 11 (Day 11)
HIROSHIMA - IWAKUNI - MIYAJIMA - HIROSHIMA (B)
This morning we’ll proceed to the pier at Miyajimaguchi and board a ferry to Miyajima Island, famed for its scenic Itsukushima-jinja, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a floating torii gate extending into the sea. The landscape - including the shrine - is one of the most photographed tourist attraction and with the island’s Misen-san as a backdrop, is classified as one of Japan’s three most beautiful sights. We’ll return to the main island by ferry, then continue on to Iwakuni visiting the famous Kintai-kyo (Brocade Sash Bridge), the city’s major attraction. Its five linked wooden arches is built without nails and forms a span across the Nishiki river. This afternoon, we’ll return to the city of Hiroshima to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Park. Exhibits within the museum relives the history of the atomic bomb and the destruction it brought on Hiroshima and its people. The most poignant memorial in the Peace Memorial Park is the Children’s Peace Memorial, inspired by leukemia victim Sadako Sasaki. Thousands of paper cranes brought by school children, various clubs and groups are displayed there. Dinner will be on your own this evening. Try some delicious okonomiyaki, the specialty of Hiroshima at one of the local restaurants near the hotel.
Accommodations at RIHGA ROYAL HOTEL HIROSHIMA or similar
Monday, April 12 (Day 12)
HIROSHIMA - KURASHIKI - OKAYAMA - OSAKA (B)(D)
Our journey continues on to make a stop in the quaint little town of Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture. Enjoy strolling through the picturesque Bikan-chiku (historic city district) with many old traditional buildings, storehouses and shops located along the willow lined canal. Enjoy a leisure stroll through Korakuen Tein, a Japanese garden ranked as one of Japan’s three most beautiful landscape gardens. The garden contains ponds, teahouses, pavilions, an artificial hill, and beautiful landscaped lawns. We’ll continue on to spend the night in the industrial city of Osaka. Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.
Accommodations at RAMADA OSAKA HOTEL or similar
Tuesday, April 13 (Day 13)
OSAKA - KANSAI TO HONOLULU (B)
The day is at your leisure to shop or to enjoy your own activities in this exciting city until our mid-afternoon departure to the Kansai Airport. Our evening flight will arrive Honolulu in the morning on the same day due to the crossing of the International Dateline. A meal will be served on board the flight.